Processing machine for the production of small coils of metal or other wire

ABSTRACT

A processing machine for producing small coils comprising a ring of wire maintained in a cage formed from a cross arm member whose arms are folded so as to retain the ring of wire and to serve as a reel. The machine includes four work stations arranged at 90* relatively to one another about a processing table including four dies arranged at 90* relative to one another and in each of which a spindle carrying a winding mandril is slidably mounted. The winding is effected at the first station, the bending and a first folding of the arms or the cross arm member and the cutting of the wire are effected at a second station, a second folding of the arms and the clamping of the ring of wire being effected at a third station and the removal of the completed coil being effected at the fourth station. Dispensing device for labels and for supporting rings may be provided at the first and second stations respectively.

United States Patent Jouin [54] PROCESSING MACHINE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF SMALL COILS OF METAL OR OTHER WIRE [72] Inventor: Alfred Jouin, Villiers/Marne, France [73] Assignee: Societe A Responsabilite Limitee: Forges & Trefileries de Conflandey, Paris, France [22] Filed: Dec. 28, 1970 [21] Appl, No.: 101,628

[58] Field of Search .29/200 B, 208 D, 208 F, 200 D, Y 29/208 R, 200 R [56] I References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 3,360,842 1/1968 Hill et al ..29/200 B Primary Examiner-Thomas 1-1 Eager, Attorney-James & Franklin [57] ABSTRACT A processing machine for producing small coils comprising a ring of wire maintained in a cage formed from a cross arm member whose arms are folded so as to retain the ring ofwire and to serve as a reel. The machine includes four work stations arranged at 90 relatively to one another about a processing table including four dies arranged at 90 relativeto one another and in each of which a spindle carrying a winding mandrilis slidably mounted. The winding is effected at the first station, the bending and a first folding of the arms or the cross arm member and the cutting of the wire are effected at a second station, a second folding of the arms and the clamping of the ring of wire being effected at a third station and the removal of the completed coil being effected at the fourth station. Dispensing device for labels and for supporting rings may be provided at the first and second stations respectively.

8 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTED 0m 24 1912 SHEET 1 BF 3 /A/ VENToQ gwqm The present invention concerns a processing or assembling machine'for the production of small coils or metal or other wire.

Thismachine enables, in particular, the production of small coils of the type in which a ring of metal wire is held in a cage formed from a cross arm member whose arms are folded in such a manner as to retain the said ring and to serve as a reel, the wire may be drawn through an eye provided at the center of the cross arm member if desired.

Such coils have until now been produced on separate machines and with clearly distinct passes.

An aim of the invention is to provide a processing machine capable of automatically producing the coils of the abovementionedtype and in which all'the operations are successively carried out under the action of electronically controlled hydraulic jacks.

The processing machine according to the invention comprises a rotary table including four'dies locatedat 90 from one another and traversed by a sliding vertical spindle carrying a hollow winding mandril, and four work stations disposed orthogonally, at the first of e which a winding device receives the metal wire from a standard unreeling device and winds it on the mandril in a fixed horizontal plane, the wire distribution on the mandril being effected by the vertical displacement of the said mandril under the action of a jack and the winding effected above'a cross arm member resting on the bottom of the mandril; the arms of the cross arm member undergo a first bending through 135 at the second station then a folding through 90 to form the retaining cage for the wire ring and finally cutting of the wire; the second folding of the arms through 90 for the final crimping of the coil is effected at the third stationas well as the opening of the mandril, the coil produced being removed at the fourth station by an automatic arm which, during its circular path of movement,sets the said coil down on a discharge member, takes a cross arm member from a dispensing device and places it in the mandril free of its miniature coil,all the 90 rotations of the table being effected by an electronical controlled hydraulic jack as all the other jacks effecting the sliding of the mandril or acting on the bending or folding tools located at the first three stations.

Additionally a dispensing device can effectthe positioning of a label about the ring of wire at the first station and another dispensing device can thread a supporting ring on one of the arms of the cross arm member at the second station.

A counter having preselection stops the winding and brings about the 90 indexing operation of the processing table.

An embodiment of the machine according to the invention is described hereinafter by way of a simple example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: I

FIG. 1 shows a coil of metal wire produced by 'means of the machine;

FIG. 2 shows the cross arm member for producing the coil;

FIG. 3 schematically shows the machine view from beneath;

FIGQ4 shows in section the elements used at station FIG. 5 shows in section the elements at station 11; FIG. 6 shows in section the elements at station III.

The machine is intended to automatically produce coils or small coils of thetype shown in FIG. 1.

- Each such coil includes a small ring of metal wire disposed in a cage formed from a cross arm member 2 (FIG. 2) and serving as a reel. A label 3 bearing a trademark and other information and a support ring 4 may complete the said coil.

The machine must therefore wind a wire ring, then put it into position inside the support constituted by the frame formed by means of a cross arm member 2.

The machine comprises a processing table 5 (FIG. 3) constituted by a circular plate mounted on a vertical shaft 6 intermittently rotatably driven in any conventional manner. i

On the table 5 are distributed four set-ups substantially arranged at 90 from one another and each comprising a winding mandril 7 sliding within a series of bendingdies 8. v I

Four work stations and auxiliary stations are arranged about the table 5. t

The auxiliary stations basically comprise a highspeed device for winding wire into coils, not shown,

and a device 9 for dispensing cross arm members of metal wire which after transformation in the machine become the reels. These cross arm. members 2 (FIG. 2)

are constituted by two wires bent and soldered to each other to form a central eye 2,, from which extend four armsperpendicular to one another.

A dispensing device 10 'for the labels 3 and a dispensing device 11 for the rings 4 are possibly arranged next to the appropriate principal work stations.

The winding device comprising a vertical winding hollow spindle 13 is arranged on a stationary frame 12 (F IG. 4) at the first work station I. The wire 1 arrives at the center of the hollow spindle 13 from a standard unwinding device, not shown, and passing through a train of straightening rolls 14.

The hollow winding spindle l3 put in rotation drives an inverted funnel-shaped member 15 carrying rollers which guide the wire 1 laterally out of the mandril spindle for winding about the winding mandril 7 in a fixed or invariable horizontal plane.

'In the machine according to the invention the distributing translatory movement of the wire customarily used in winding is replaced by the displacement of the mandrel 7 along the vertical axis.

The displacement of the mandril is effected hydraulically by means of a distributing jack 16.

This movement in a first stage preceding the winding operation is also used to move the mandril to its upper position in the course of distribution of the winding wire as will be seen below in the table of the operations of the machine.

The completion of the winding is controlled by a counter 17 with a dial and which after a short stop for labelling effects the indexing operation of the processing table.

After this indexing, the mandril 7 carried by a shaft l8 controlled by a jack 19 called a closure jack is brought into the die 8 relative to the table 5. g

The 90 rotation of the table is effected by a jack 20.

' Once this operation is finished, the coil formed and held in the mandril is at station ll while the empty adjacent mandril takes its place after receiving a cross arm member 2 from the dispensing device 9 as is described hereinbelow.

At this precise moment the position of the wire between the outlet rollers (station I) and the complete coil at station II is such that the latter is tangent to the empty mandril at station I close to the lower face; this positioning is controlled by a photo-sensitive cell and enables the starting of a new winding without having to hold the wire against the mandril at station I.

A double action jack 21 operating as a press is disposed at station II and by means of the tool 22 bending the ends of the arms of the cross arm member 2 through 135 is held between the lower face of the mandril and the coil.

Then under the action of the portion 23 of the jack acting with a tool 24, a first folding through 90 of the arms of the cross arm member is effected followed by the cutting of the wire.

A ring 4 can be positioned on one of the arms of the cross arm member at station II by the ring dispensing device 1 l but this is an optional step.

The first bending of the arms of the cross arm member thus completed, the table can be turned through 90 but as the amount of work time at station I is greater than that at the other stations, it is therefore the end of the steps at the first station that must trigger the station-to-station indexing action.

The mandril and the coil brought to the station lII (FIG. 6) are disposed beneath another hydraulic jack 25 of the same type as jack 21 at station II and which by means of a swage block 26 effects a second 90 folding for the final crimping of the coil. The second portion 27 of the jack effects the clamping or securing of the combination of the coil and cross arm member with the end of the opening of the mandril by a special push-rod 28.

A gripping device at station IV (FIG. 3) comprising an arm 29 removes the completed coil 30, places the latter on deliveryramp 31 and continuing its rotation takes a cross arm member 2 from the dispensing device and places it in the mandril 7 free of its coil.

All the operations are under the control of an electronic device and their automated cycle occurs in the following order:

Station Operation N Description bb-I l ll 12 automatic arm The machine is useful for producing small coils serving both as coil and reel in an entirely automated manner. The coils obtained can be formed by means of wire of all kinds but more particularly metal wire.

What I claim is:

1. A processing machine for the productions of small coils of wire comprising: a rotary processing tablehaving four dies arranged therein, a vertical sliding spindle extending through one of the dies, said spindle supporting a hollow winding mandril, four work stations arranged relative to the rotary table and including a first station having means for winding wire onto said mandril along a fixed horizontal plane and means for distributing the wire along themandril by the vertical dis placement thereof, the winding of the coil being effected above a member supported on said die; a second work station having means for folding and bending por tions of said member and means for cutting thewire; a third station having means for further folding the portions of said member as well as means for opening the mandril; a fourth station having an automatic arm means for removing a completed coil, for depositing the completed coil onto a discharge device, for taking a member from a member dispensing device, and for placing said member onto a free die, and hydraulic jacks for effecting the movements of the table relative to the stations and the movements of the mandril.

2. A processing machine according to claim 1, wherein the four dies are arranged approximately at from one another and wherein the stations are arranged at approximately at 90 from one another such that each station is associated with a die during any particular operation. I

3. A processing machine according to claim 1, wherein the wire is fed into the interior of the hollow spindle and passes outside the spindle onto an inverted funnel-shaped element and then inwardly along a fixed horizontal plane onto reciprocating mandril.

4. A processing machine according to claim 1, wherein the member is a cross arm member, and wherein its arms are bent through approximately and then folded through 90 at the second station before a final crimping.

5. A processing machine according to claim 4, wherein the arms are further folded through 90 at the third station.

6. A processing machine according to claim 1, wherein bending and folding tools are provided which are operated by hydraulic jacks, and wherein all the hydraulic jacks are electronically controlled.

7. A processing machine according to claim 1, wherein a label dispensing and placing device is provided at the first station for placing a label on the ring of wound wire formed on the hollow winding mandril.

8. A processing machine according to claim 1, wherein a support ring dispensing and threading device is provided at the second station for threading a support ring onto one of the arms of the member. 

1. A processing machine for the productions of small coils of wire comprising: a rotary processing table having four dies arranged therein, a vertical sliding spindle extending through one of the dies, said spindle supporting a hollow winding mandril, four work stations arranged relative to the rotary table and including a first station having means for winding wire onto said mandril along a fixed horizontal plane and means for distributing the wire along the mandril by the vertical displacement thereof, the winding of the coil Being effected above a member supported on said die; a second work station having means for folding and bending portions of said member and means for cutting the wire; a third station having means for further folding the portions of said member as well as means for opening the mandril; a fourth station having an automatic arm means for removing a completed coil, for depositing the completed coil onto a discharge device, for taking a member from a member dispensing device, and for placing said member onto a free die, and hydraulic jacks for effecting the movements of the table relative to the stations and the movements of the mandril.
 2. A processing machine according to claim 1, wherein the four dies are arranged approximately at 90* from one another and wherein the stations are arranged at approximately at 90* from one another such that each station is associated with a die during any particular operation.
 3. A processing machine according to claim 1, wherein the wire is fed into the interior of the hollow spindle and passes outside the spindle onto an inverted funnel-shaped element and then inwardly along a fixed horizontal plane onto reciprocating mandril.
 4. A processing machine according to claim 1, wherein the member is a cross arm member, and wherein its arms are bent through approximately 135* and then folded through 90* at the second station before a final crimping.
 5. A processing machine according to claim 4, wherein the arms are further folded through 90* at the third station.
 6. A processing machine according to claim 1, wherein bending and folding tools are provided which are operated by hydraulic jacks, and wherein all the hydraulic jacks are electronically controlled.
 7. A processing machine according to claim 1, wherein a label dispensing and placing device is provided at the first station for placing a label on the ring of wound wire formed on the hollow winding mandril.
 8. A processing machine according to claim 1, wherein a support ring dispensing and threading device is provided at the second station for threading a support ring onto one of the arms of the member. 